MONTREAL - An official with the Quebec team competing at last weekend's men's national baseball championships in New Brunswick is criticizing the way Baseball Canada handled racist taunts directed at his players.
Daniel Belisle, chef de mission for the provincial team, says players from Quebec were targeted for racial abuse from the stands during the semi-final and bronze medal games Sunday in Miramichi, N.B.
He says three male spectators used the N-word against a dark-skinned player and told him to "go back to your coloured box."
Belisle, who is president of the Ligue de Baseball Majeur du Quebec, says the three men were clearly drunk and were being encouraged by others in the stands.
He says he approached the Baseball Canada representative at the game, who spoke to the aggressive spectators, but Belisle said the men were not expelled and continued taunting the Quebec players with racist slurs and other insults.
Belisle this week lodged an official complaint with Baseball Canada about the incident.
In an emailed response to Belisle obtained by The Canadian Press, Andre Lachance of Baseball Canada said officials in the stadium had done all they could to resolve the situation.
Lachance later told The Canadian Press his email to Belisle was preliminary and Baseball Canada is continuing to investigate the incident and before making a more formal response.
Photo: Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press